Photo: Chris.sherlock2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting your licence in Australia costs anywhere from about $75 in official fees in Victoria to more than $400 in NSW, before lessons. This guide lists the official test and licence fees in every state and territory as of November 2026. It adds up the minimum for a learner under 25 who passes each test first time, and shows the free schemes and credits that cut the bill.
Key facts
- Victoria is the cheapest in official fees. Under the Motorist Package your learner permit, P1 and P2 are free to issue, and the first online Learner Permit Test and HPT attempts are free.
- Tasmania’s Plates Plus course, knowledge test and HPT are all free. An offence-free P period earns a free 3-year full licence.
- In the NT, the $110 DriveSafe NT enrolment covers your theory test, licence and test fees, plus $500 in lesson vouchers.
- Retakes are where costs climb: every failed practical test means paying the fee again.
- Lessons are the biggest variable cost. Instructors set their own prices, so compare a few schools.
Official fees by state (as of November 2026)
NSW (from 1 July 2026)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Driver Knowledge Test | $58 (online, unlimited attempts; or per in-person attempt) |
| Learner licence | $32 |
| Hazard Perception Test | $58 each attempt |
| Driving Test | $72 each attempt |
| P1 licence | $74 |
| P2 licence | $115 |
Minimum for an under-25 who passes first time: $409 (DKT, Ls, HPT, Driving Test, P1 and P2). The Safer Drivers Course costs $140 and gives 20 bonus log book hours. Details: NSW licence and test fees 2026.
Victoria
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Learner Permit Test online, first attempt | Free |
| Learner Permit Test in person | $28.70 plus $22.10 appointment fee |
| Learner permit, P1 and P2 issue | Free |
| Hazard Perception Test online, first attempt | Free (further attempts charged) |
| Drive test | $53.20 plus $22.10 appointment fee ($75.30) |
Minimum if you pass everything online first time: $75.30. Details: VicRoads Ls and Ps fees 2026.
Queensland (from 1 July 2026)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| PrepL or written road rules test | $29.70 |
| Learner licence (3 years) | $80.15 |
| Hazard perception test | $42.70 |
| Practical driving test | $69.40 each attempt |
| Provisional licence, 1 / 3 / 5 years | $94.65 / $163.25 / $212.00 |
Minimum with a 1-year provisional licence: $316.60. Details: Queensland licence test fees.
Western Australia
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Computerised Theory Test | $22.40 (resit $19.20) |
| Learner’s permit application, including your first PDA | $150.80 |
| Hazard Perception Test | $29.90 (resit $24.10) |
| PDA resit | $120.50 |
| Printed logbook (optional; Learn&Log app is free) | $10.70 |
Tests and permit if you pass first time: $203.10, plus the provisional licence fee you pay after the PDA. Check that figure with DTMI. Details: WA licence test fees.
South Australia
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| myLs course and theory test (once only) | $44 |
| Learner’s permit (2 years) | $78 |
| Hazard Perception Test | Listed at $37 (online: one fee, repeat attempts free) |
| VORT | Set by the VORT instructor |
| P1 provisional licence | Check the current fee on sa.gov.au |
The SA fee schedule page had not been updated recently when checked. Confirm every SA figure on the sa.gov.au driver’s licence and permit fees page before you pay.
Tasmania
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Plates Plus course and knowledge test | Free |
| Learner licence | $40.68 |
| Hazard Perception Test | Free |
| P1 driving assessment (government assessor) | $108.93 including GST |
| Provisional licence (P1 and P2 issue) | $68.12 |
| Full licence after offence-free Ps (3 years) | $0.00 under the safer driver reward |
Minimum: $217.73. Details: learning to drive in Tasmania.
ACT (as at 1 July 2026)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Pre-Learner Licence Course | Set by the provider; several community providers charge no fee |
| Learner licence | $65.50 |
| Hazard Perception Test | First attempt free; $30.00 after (from 1 July 2026) |
| One-off practical driving assessment | $133.90 (or CBT&A lesson fees) |
| Provisional licence (3 years) | $165.90 |
Minimum with a free course and the one-off assessment: $365.30. Details: learning to drive in the ACT.
Northern Territory
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Theory test | $20 each attempt |
| Learner licence (2 years) | $29 |
| Practical test | Set by each authorised examiner |
| Provisional licence, under 25 (2 years) / 25 and over (1 year) | $61 / $40 |
| DriveSafe NT enrolment (covers the above) | $110 |
Without DriveSafe: $110 plus the examiner’s fee for an under-25. Details: DriveSafe NT.
Minimum official cost compared
| State | Minimum official fees, pass first time (under 25) |
|---|---|
| VIC | $75.30 |
| NT | $110 via DriveSafe NT (covers tests and licences), or $110 plus examiner fee without it |
| WA | $203.10 plus provisional licence fee |
| TAS | $217.73 |
| QLD | $316.60 |
| ACT | $365.30 (free course, one-off assessment) |
| NSW | $409 |
| SA | $122 for myLs and permit, plus HPT, VORT and P1 fees (check sa.gov.au) |
These totals are official fees only. They leave out lessons, fuel, the car and insurance. See car insurance for learners and P platers.
Lessons: the cost you control
Lesson prices are not set by government, so no official figure exists. How to keep them down:
- Use supervised practice for the volume, and lessons for the gaps. Book lessons for things a parent finds hard to teach, such as reverse parallel parking or test-route roads.
- Claim lesson credits. NSW counts 1 hour with an instructor as 3 log book hours, up to 20 bonus hours. The ACT counts instructor lessons 3 for 1, up to 10 hours. Tasmania also credits instructor time.
- Take the official safer-driver courses. NSW’s Safer Drivers Course gives 20 hours ($140, with 1,000 free places a year for eligible learners). The ACT Safer Driver Course gives 20 hours.
- Pick CBT&A only if you want structured lessons. In SA and the ACT it replaces one test with a course of paid lessons (at least 7 in the ACT).
Ways to cut the official bill
- Do the knowledge test online where one fee covers unlimited attempts: NSW DKT online, SA myLs, Queensland PrepL within 12 months, and Tasmania (free).
- Do the HPT online in SA (one fee, repeated attempts), Victoria (first attempt free) and the ACT (first attempt free).
- Skip the WA theory test fee with a Keys4Life certificate from the last 2 years.
- Do not rush the practical test. One fail adds $72 in NSW, $75.30 in VIC, $69.40 in QLD, $120.50 in WA or $133.90 in the ACT.
- Change bookings early. Late changes or no-shows lose the fee. Give 24 hours’ notice in VIC, 48 hours in NSW, WA and the ACT, and 2 working days in QLD.
- Stay offence-free on your Ps. Tasmania gives a free 3-year full licence. WA gives a free 1-year renewal. Victoria’s Free Licence Scheme may give a free 3-year licence.
- Ask about concessions and support programs: NSW’s Driver Licensing Access Program, ACT community course providers and DriveSafe NT.
Common questions
What is the cheapest state to get a licence in?
By official fees, Victoria: $75.30 if you pass everything online first time. The NT’s DriveSafe program is also very cheap and includes lesson vouchers.
Why is NSW so much more expensive?
NSW charges for every stage separately, including the HPT ($58) and two provisional licences ($74 and $115).
Do I pay again if I fail?
Yes. Every practical test retake costs the full test fee, and most states charge for HPT and knowledge test retakes taken in person.
Is the logbook free?
Mostly. The NSW, WA and Tasmanian logbook apps are free. Printed books cost extra, for example $10.70 in WA and $7.60 in Tasmania.
Are fees the same for over-25s?
Mostly, but over-25s often skip stages. In the NT the provisional licence is $40 for 1 year instead of $61 for 2. See learning to drive over 25.
When do fees go up?
Most states index fees on 1 July. The NSW, Queensland and ACT figures here took effect on 1 July 2026.
Sources
- NSW Government, “Licence and test fees” (nsw.gov.au)
- NSW Government, “Using your Learner Driver Log Book” and “Safer Drivers Course” (nsw.gov.au)
- VicRoads, “Ls and Ps fees” (vicroads.vic.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Licence fees” (qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Take the Computerised Theory Test (CTT)”, “Hazard Perception Test (HPT)” and “Pass your PDA” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- SA.GOV.AU, “Complete the myLs course online” and “Find driver’s licence and permit fees” (sa.gov.au)
- Transport Services Tasmania, “Licensing and assessment fees” (transport.tas.gov.au)
- Department of State Growth, “Getting your learner licence” (platesplus.tas.gov.au)
- Access Canberra, “Driver licence fees” (accesscanberra.act.gov.au)
- City Services, “Learner and provisional driver safety” (cityservices.act.gov.au)
- Northern Territory Government, “Driver and rider licence fees” (nt.gov.au)
- DriveSafe NT, “Everything you need to know about DriveSafe” (drivesafe.nt.gov.au)
- ACT Government, “Road Transport (General) (Driver Licence and Related Fees) Determination 2026 (No 1)”, DI2026-44, Schedule 1 item 18 (legislation.act.gov.au)